Knox Cube Test

Introduction :

Dr. Howard Knox created the cube tapping test while developing a battery of tests for

detecting mental disability in foreign-speaking adults. (For his first test, Knox placed four one-

inch cubes four inches apart on a plain board.) A smaller (tapping) cube then tapped these

blocks in one of five pre-determined tapping sequences. The Knox Cube Test-Revised (KCT-R)

was created to get an objective assessment of attention span in terms of age group and

individual achievement within age groups, ranging from preschoolers to the elderly. At the turn

of the century, John Knox, M.D., a public health physician at Ellis Island, devised the original

Knox's Cube Test (KCT). This was a time when the United States was experiencing a large

influx of immigrants. Knox was in charge of screening these individuals. He placed four blocks
in

front of the examiner, tapped a simple pattern on them with different blocks, and then asked to

be repeated. Knox designed a series of tapping sequences that he presented in ascending

order of difficulty, allowing him to test mental capacity quickly. Because the tapping sequence

allowed for presentations to people of many languages and cultures, it was helpful. Pintner &

Paterson, 1923; Arthur, 1925, 1927, 1943; Amoss, 1936; Goodenough, 1940; and Babcock,

1965 revised Knox's Cubes and incorporated them into test batteries. All of these variants of

Knox's tapping series essentially followed the same fundamental structure: a progressively-

difficult tapping pattern. Early versions of Knox's tests were specifically created to examine the

mentally retarded and hearing handicapped, exhibiting Knox's Cubes'

adaptability. The Knox's Cube Test-Revised (KCT-R) is a good way to measure short-term

memory and

attention span. It may be used by both youngsters and adults, and the instructions are
straightforward. As a result, the KCT-R is useful for assessing the mental health of children and

adults who are deaf, nonverbal, or speak a foreign language. It can also be used to assess

older persons who are suspected of having dementia or memory loss. The KCT-R is useful in all

psychological and educational evaluations since attention span and short-term

memory loss are fundamental to learning practically all other skills. In the examination of mental

capacity, attention span and short-term memory are critical.

Any learning activity requires the ability to attend. Even the simplest information requires short-

term memory for acquisition and processing. The number of words, numerals, or other items

rapidly remembered is frequently used to assess the same. Knox constructed from five to seven

tasks, for each age level of the test, and his five tapping series were placed at the "mental" age

levels. These procedures, on the other hand, are influenced by the examinee's linguistic or

numerical ability. Aside from the amount of units displayed. The amount of practice, the rate at

which the content is presented, and familiarity with the material's meaning have all been

demonstrated to boost performance. The KCT, for example, is a simple, brief nonverbal

examination that can provide signals of attention span and short-term memory that are

independent of language development and educational exposure. As a result, any attempt to

assess mental capacity must include a test of this nature.

Item difficulty of the KCT-R can be decomposed into three essential components:

1. Length of tapping series

2. Reverses (a count of changes in direction, from left to right, etc.)

the test until a relationship has been established. Since KCTR is not dangerous, it can serve as

the first tool in an experimental battery.

The development of Knox’s cube test: Dr. Howard Knox developed his cube tapping test in
the

course of constructing a test battery for evaluating mental impairment among foreign-speaking

adults (For his original test Knox fastened four one-inch cubes, on a plain board, four inches

apart These blocks were then tapped by a smaller (tapping) cube, according to one of five

prescribed tapping series)

Test Materials:

Four black one-inch cubes are fastened, two inches apart, to a natural-finished, wood base

that is 10%" long. 1% wide, and thick The four attached cubes are referred to, from the

examinee's left to right, as 1", 2", 3 and 4.

Test Administration

Place the row of four attached blocks in front of the examinee, and say, "WATCH" Then

demonstrate by performing Practice Series A: 1-25

Tap blocks 1 and 2, in that order, using the fifth "tapping" block. Tap at the rate of one tap per

second Begin with block 1 to the left of the examine. Put down the "tapping" block, midway

between the examinee and the row of attached blocks,

centered in the middle of the row, and say, "DO WHAT I DID."

Repeat the first tapping series until it is reproduced exactly. After each demonstration, return the

tapping block to the same central position, so that its position will not imply a starting point.

When the first series has been successfully completed. say, "WATCH" Demonstrate Practice
Series B: 3-1. Tap blocks 3 and 1, in that order, using the fifth "tapping" block. Tap at the rate

of one tap per second Begin with block 4 to the left of the examinee.

In order to be sure the examinee understands the task, repeat the two practice series until they

are completely mastered. After they are mastered, and the test series has begun, DO NOT

REPEAT ANY SERIES or give any further help. Continue testing until the examinice

commits five successive failures.

Success (or failure) for each tapping series is recorded by placing a "1" for success, or a "0" for

failure, in the space on the Record Page, following each tapping series. The final score is the

number of successfully-performed tapping series. Interpretations are according to the

instructions in the manual.

(A simple, self-scoring Report page in the Record Form was developed to facilitate scoring. This

allows for immediate identification of pattern irregularity, and also provides normative

information.

Applications

Knox (1914) introduced his tapping test in a report describing a mental scale for identifying

mental deficiency among immigrants at Ellis Island. He had developed a Binet-like scale, for

ages 3-13, based upon, "over 4,000 suspected defects." No data was given about the test,

except to report the number of each nationality which passed or failed. Knox constructed from

five to seven tasks, for each age level of the test, and his five tapping series were placed

at the "mental" age levels.